Endless

Besieged | Ryan

Ali slept restlessly. Her brows furrowed as she tossed her head one way and the other. Whatever she was dreaming wasn't good. Her eyes quivered beneath her lids. Maybe I should have woken her up, but it didn't feel right. Instead, I held onto her as she tensed and trembled, wishing with all my heart I could shield her from her memories.

I ran my fingers through her hair, whispering softly to comfort her. It didn't help much.

She woke up with a sob and opened her eyes. Her eyes dulled with deep anger. Hatred flooded over the bridge between our souls.

I recoiled, panic stealing my air. I knew. She remembered the night we'd killed Luc Davenport, and I'd miscalculated by assuming she'd be okay once she did. Her rage burned me like hot daggers. She pressed her hands against my chest, pushing us apart.

"Ali..."

"Don't even open your mouth," she whispered. She might as well have shouted for the impact it had on me. Aleria jumped out of bed and backed away when I followed, watching me warily. "I trusted you."

My heart sank. "No. It's not like that, Ali. You forgave me." I willed her to understand, but she shook her head.

"Forgave you? I wanted to kill you. Both of you. Did you enjoy having me in your hold for so long? God," she wailed, "I gave myself to you!"

I rushed her and pulled her into my arms. "Ali please. You have to listen to me."

"No!" she shouted, shoving at me with all her might. I felt her reaching out, searching for power, opening herself more and more.

"Stop it!" I shouted back, stepping towards her, but within seconds her hands lit up.

Nick burst into the room, but halted when he saw Ali. "Oh God." He made to move towards her, but she hit him with a blast of heat that sent him staggering back.

Ali sobbed. "You killed him. Because you were too stupid to just listen to me when I tried to explain."

"I know!" Nick tried again, but her ever growing power kept him at a distance.

The air around her flickered with the intense heat spreading out around her.

"Ali please," I begged. If she wanted to kill me, that was fine, but not like this. Not without her remembering the whole thing. "You still don't know everything."

"Right," she scoffed, "and I'm just going to go on believing you like an idiot." One of the furniture covers combusted. "My whole life, I had one true friend. You took him away from me! And for what?"

"Revenge," Nick said, hanging his head. "It hurt me so much to lose you that I wanted to return the favor. I was stupid, Alya."

"We both were," I said, wishing to make her understand. "We were empty shells of pure hunger, nothing more. Life was nothing but endless battles of survival and death. Meaningless. So meaningless."

"Until you," Nick murmured. His words hit me like an axe to the chest. I felt his pain, his longing for her. He'd sense the same coming from me. Right then, it hurt too much to speak, so I nodded my agreement.

For a moment, she relented, wiping at tears flooding down her cheeks. Nick and I just stared, hoping for some clue as to what she'd allow us to do next.

A gunshot shattered our unstable peace. Ali gasped, narrowing her eyes at us while flames licked along her arms. "You've done it again! Well done. Caught me."

"What?" I asked, then went cold.

Griffons. At least thirty of them. Upstarts to power players, they were all moving in.

Nick moaned. "Alya, this is you. You let them see you."

She shook her head and backed away from us, letting her fire run along her shoulders. It'd kill us to go near her.

"Guys!" Vince shouted from somewhere else in the house. "We're in big trouble."

Seconds later, windows and doors shattered and the staircase thundered under a legion of heavy footsteps. Another gunshot went off somewhere above us. Within seconds, some upstarts crashed through the door. Ali was the first of us to react, picking off griffons with morbid abandon as they came through, as if she didn't care that there was no hope for survival if she didn't escape.

"Run!" I shouted at her, letting as much of my true nature free as I dared. I was honed to kill, but I wouldn't kill her. Anyone out to harm her, on the other hand, I drained in seconds, kicking and hitting to get to Ali. I needed to talk sense into her, but her rage and power kept me at bay. The griffons who tried to approach dropped dead in seconds. Still, I could sense the draws the older ones put on her. They didn't try to take too much at a time. They were smart enough to let the upstarts distract her while they siphoned off her life force bit by bit. At the speed they were going, she wouldn't even notice until it was too late.

I went for them, hoping to God I could drain them before they realized I was the threat they should have neutralized first. More came in, as powerful as Nick or Alick, and they all went for my power.

Their draws went through me with enough force to drop me to my knees while I clung to my life force. I cast out my most powerful draw in return. My thoughts swam, but my true nature was exhilarated at a chance to gain more power. But I was weakening too fast. I collapsed in a heap.

Some griffs carried Vince in and pinned him down, preparing to kill him. I distantly felt Nick struggling against death as well, and a surge or regret washed over me. We used to be brothers and best friends. All that had disappeared when I had refused to understand that he'd done the right thing to leave.

Ali's life force flickered to oblivion even as she continued fighting. I loved her, and she'd die hating me.

More power crowded in on me, and a dozen of themost powerful Firm members stormed in, wearing hoodies to cover their faces. Iknew my father was there, though. The draws lessened somewhat, but griffonskept flooding into the house, pulling at my soul and threatening to tear itasunder. I lost touch with my surroundings, instead listening to my heartbeating slower and slower.

Gosh! I can't believe I took so long to update. So very sorry, guys! I kept waiting for my life to settle down a bit, and today was the first time that things actually calmed down enough for me to update this again. Hope you enjoyed it! What do you think Ryan's dad will do? Let me know in the comments, and don't forget to vote if you enjoyed the chapter!